


Five Times Things Did Not Work Out as Planned, and One Time They Did

by WhenSheReads



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, M/M, Major Character Injury, St Mungo's Hospital, Tumblr: scorbusfest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenSheReads/pseuds/WhenSheReads
Summary: Pretty much what the title says--things may not always work out for Scorpius and Albus, but that doesn't mean things are bad.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 12
Kudos: 34
Collections: Scorbus Fest 2020





	1. Time Travel

Scorpius was always interested in the concept of time travel, even though he didn’t really think it was something that anyone should do, especially after he read Croaker’s laws of time travel. However, being friends with Albus Potter made you do things he might not always do, especially when your friend is having a hard time and you would do anything in the world to make him feel better. This is, in short, how Scorpius Malfoy became a time traveler. 

The first time he and Albus went back in time didn’t work out—he thought that reality was the worst thing that could possibly happen: a world where there was no Rose and no friendship with Albus. Being without Rose was bad because she didn’t even exist anymore so in essence he killed her. Later on (when he was older and understood Things much better), he realized it was harder to lose the possibility of Rose than Rose herself, that unrealized potential of winning over someone who has never quite like you, the goal of getting someone to realize that you were really a upstanding human being, the time necessary to figure out how you really feel about girls or really feel about other people in comparison to girls and potential. It was really useful to have her around to work out some of these feelings, please and thank you. 

But in that first world, there was no Rose and therefore no way to work those things out. Even worse, and more importantly, THE Harry Potter (who he grew up thinking was amazing!) thought he (Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy) was terrible and potentially the son of the person-snake who spent many years trying to kill him and rule the world. This ridiculous notion (because Tom Riddle looked more like a Potter than a Malfoy if you are going to Go There) meant that his best friend was not allowed to speak with him. 

So in summary, in that reality Scorpius lost the possibility of friendship and his actual friendship. If he thought about it too hard (and he was really being honest with himself), it was kind of like losing his mother all over again. And even though he didn’t like to talk about it, he did in fact lose her all over again. The potential of her maybe being alive and then the realization that she was already gone. The potential of Rose and the presence of Albus, gone. 

In that reality every day was hard, every day was challenging, every day was sad, and he just tried to go through the days and figure out what he could do to keep his promise to his Mum. What would he write to her now? Would he let her know that he was devastated but trying to stay positive? That losing Albus has made everything worse? That he would just like to have one year be easier? He wrote her long letters after everyone else in the dorm has gone to sleep and usually incendio-ed them in the morning (after too little sleep). It seemed to help.

One time he was so tired that he accidentally sent his father one of the letters, which meant that his father immediately contacted him, got permission to let him floo call, and proceeded to wish bodily harm upon Harry Potter for making his son lose his best friend. Scorpius couldn’t help it and cried when he saw how upset his father was on his behalf. He tried to tell him he would be OK and how he wished his father’s go-to move wasn’t always wishing harm upon the savior of the wizarding world because that really wouldn’t help anything and it always felt like it was going to make things worse. 

Still, Scorpius knew that his father loved him even if it was not always in the way he wanted to be loved, and things would be okay even if nothing was ever how he wanted it to be.

After he and Albus talked they (of course) went back in time again and tried to fix things again, he realized that he really would’ve been OK in that reality and that he really shouldn’t wish for things to change all too much because they might turn into this terrible world. The less he thought about it, the better. 

The terrible reality was just everything he had ever been afraid of, including himself. And still no mother. He tried not to dwell on it too much and just did everything he could with whatever time he had to try and get back to a place where there was Albus and there was Rose and therefore the possibility of him becoming the person he wanted to be. 

He tried not to think too much about the in-between times when he had to be the Scorpion King (though he knew that he was doing a rubbish job at being the person who lived in that kind of world). The things he saw, and some of the things he was asked to do, gave him nightmares for a long time. He rationalized it as best he could, he couldn’t dwell on it...he just had to get back to Albus and the possibility. He had to get back.

Being back was short-lived, because even though they had the best intentions they tortured a little before traveling back in time yet again and getting stranded in 1981. He was serious when he said that if there is someone he would have to face the return of eternal darkness with it would be Albus, even if Albus didn’t necessarily agree with him. However, it still wasn’t an ideal situation by any means. 

He tried to shake off the lingering aches, jitteriness, and spasms that came from Delphi cursing him, but luckily, he didn’t think Albus noticed the problems because he was still a little bit self-centered, which Scorpius was never more grateful for than this moment. He could just try to make the best of the situation and not have to worry about Albus’s concern for him. 

He was ever so grateful when he saw their parents apparate into Godric’s Hollow, though he was hesitant to greet his father for so many reasons—for the Draco Malfoy he met other world, because he wasn’t sure he’s covering up the after effects of the curse enough that his father won’t notice…on top of all that, he just really missed his mother after watching Harry’s mother with him and seeing Ginny greet Albus, and then thinking about how Harry also didn’t have a mother and about how sad that is all the time.

But he realized there wasn’t time to think about that now and soon the person-snake who everybody blamed his existence on arrived and then there was transfiguration and murder and he had never felt so horrible, and even when his mother died or when he was being horribly cursed. He was just so grateful that when it was over and his father tried to make sure he couldn’t watch the terrible thing that happened but he heard it anyways, and he knew he would hear it again and again and again and again… 

Unfortunately, as they arrived back at Hogwarts, Hermione and Draco started asking him and Albus questions about how they were (as Ginny and Ron are with Harry, who was understandably still quite shaken by all the events) and Albus made it known that Scorpius was tortured with the cruciatus curse and had been shaking and having difficulty walking since then. While pleased that Albus noticed (and didn’t let it become a distraction), this meant his evening ended in the Hospital Wing and crying and potions and Albus going back with his family so he had to spend the night away from Albus, which is really the last thing he wanted to do given all the circumstances of everything that happened.

As Madam Pomfrey prepared the potions and his father sat by his bed, gently stroking the hair back on his head while staring blankly ahead, he knew that there would be many nights, hard nights, that were terrible ahead. Nothing about their foray into time travel worked out the way they wanted, but he was still here. And Albus was here (though not physically at the moment, he was Here in this reality). And if he knew anything, it’s that this was enough.


	2. Quidditch

Scorpius wasn’t lying when he said he had been practicing all summer to try and make the Quidditch team, but that didn’t mean he actually thought he was going to make the Quidditch team. He knew very well that while he was not a terrible flyer that he didn’t have any particular strengths or really any particular position that he preferred to play. Father was a Seeker; it was also an undeniable truth that Scorpius was most decidedly Not Like His Father when it came to almost everything he did. Perhaps that fact meant it would be better to try out for Keeper, or maybe a Beater, probably not a Chaser… So maybe a Chaser. 

Definitely time to make a list, then.

He woke up far too early that morning under the guise of telling himself he was going to practice his flying before tryouts, but instead he found himself sitting on his bed dressed in Quidditch gear with his broom out, making a Pro/Con list of each of the different positions and his own flying skills. He was in the middle of writing this list, ink on his fingers, nails chewed to the quick, when Albus drew back the curtains surrounding his bed.

“Scorpius, are you…” He looked at Scorpius, nodded his head, and sat down on the bed next to him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Scorpius looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Do we talk about these kinds of things?” He gazed down again, quill rolling back and forth between his thumb and index finger. Albus gently took the quill from his hand and drew the curtains so that they would have some privacy and handed Scorpius his wand so he could cast muffliato. 

“Are there still things that don’t we talk about? I thought we’d gotten better about that.”

“Well, I suppose we do talk about just about everything, but it’s usually you being quiet and me talking to fill the silence. So I am often talking but you’re not often asking me if I’m doing the talking or if I need to talk about something because I just talk about things and you just listen. Or you seem like you’re listening but you may be pretending to be listening and I’m not really sure that you always listen to me because you had some trouble listening to me in the past, but since, you know, that whole time travel thing you do seem to be doing a lot better with the actual listening, so perhaps I’m not giving you enough credit.”

“I know you ramble when you’re upset or worried or trying to make sense of something.” Albus sighed and turned to face Scorpius. “I want you to talk to me when you’re worried or nervous about something. I always want you to talk to me.”

Scorpius nodded and turned to face Albus, then handed him the list. “I’m trying to figure out what the position I should try out for is. I thought I knew, I thought I was just going to be going out for Seeker because they stay away from everybody and stay out of the way and are less likely to be involved in the action so I’d be less likely to be a target, but I saw someone else practicing yesterday and they looked very good, and so I started thinking about my dad and how he was a Seeker but I’m not like him and how I practiced with him but played all the positions and things like that and I really enjoyed anything that we were doing so maybe another position would be better s and then I started to make a list because I didn’t know what to do with all the things that I was thinking anymore.”

“What did you like best when you played this summer?” 

Scorpius shrugged. “I don’t know, I really don’t! I just enjoyed doing what my dad was doing and I guess that might be why I thought I’d be a good Seeker, since my dad was a Seeker and I love my dad. But we’re so different so maybe that isn’t enough and so now there’s a list.”

Albus nodded, then turned his head to the side as he looked Scorpius in the eye thoughtfully. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you liked spending time with your dad more than you like Quidditch.” 

Scorpius looked back at Albus, then at his list. “I never thought about it like that,” he said slowly. “I do like flying, and I do want to try to get more involved. I don’t know. I just I want my dad to be proud of me.”

Albus smiled. “Do you think he’s not proud of you already? Your dad is proud of everything you do, so you don’t need to do this for him. He sent you a box of chocolate frogs because you told him you didn’t have a nightmare last week and he was proud of that. Perhaps this is all a ploy…do you think he’d buy you an entire sweets shop if you made the team?” 

Scorpius laughed and smacked Albus gently on the shoulder. “Firstly, I worry about everything. Secondly, you’ve just made a very compelling case for trying out for the team, but thirdly, now I’ll be even more devastated if I don’t make it because not only will I not be on the team, but I will have lost a great opportunity to start Scorpius’s Sweets Shop. That’s terrible.” 

“Whatever happened to Malfoy the Unanxious? Is he on holiday?”

“I believe he’s out on the Quidditch pitch practicing for tryouts today,” Scorpius murmured. “And there’s no Scorpius the Dreadless…just Scorpius the Overthinker.” 

“Any reason why is your alter ego is Malfoy and you’re Scorpius?" 

“Well, I’m not very good at carrying on the Malfoy name as it is, and if we’re honest the Malfoy name is really representative of something that isn’t me at all. Scorpius is just me—who else is named Scorpius? So I’m just Scorpius.”

“What’s wrong with being Scorpius?” Albus said. “I’m rather fond of Scorpius.”

“Good, because you’re stuck with Scorpius.”

“So does Scorpius the Overthinker also want to play Quidditch? Because I have an idea about how to figure out which position to try out for.”

“Call me Scorpius the Intrigued, then. What is it?”

“It’s a word association game. When I say word you just want to see the first thing at the top of your head. It’s supposed to help you think through things and not to overthink things, in theory. I don’t have a qualification or spell to tell me I’m doing it right…”

“No, that that sounds like fun.” Scorpius sang. “Let’s play a game!”

Albus rolled his eyes. “All right. Respond with one word, as quick as possible. Spell.”

“Book.”

“Window.”

“Squid.”

“Green.”

“Slytherin." 

“Quidditch.”

“Dad.”

“Happy.”

“You.” 

Albus stopped. “What do you mean ‘me’?” 

Scorpius looked at him, the corner of his mouth turning upwards. “What I said—you make me happy, Albus.”

Albus smiled back. “Okay. I’d like to try something else, then, but only if you’re going to stay here and be Scorpius because if you’re going to go off to be Malfoy you really need to get out to the Quidditch pitch.”

“I think I’m just going to stay here and just be Scorpius, then,” he said. “Even though it’s not really my plan for today and I’ll need to revise my schedule.”

“Before you get to revising your schedule, can we try one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“Instead of just being Scorpius, I was thinking that maybe you would like being my Scorpius? That is to say you make me happy too. And it might be nice if we just tried to make each other happy.”

Scorpius looked at him thoughtfully. “How would you like this to impact my schedule? Is this a thing we’re trying out today, or is it something that I need to put in my long-term planner? And then are we talking until the end of the year or we graduate from Hogwarts, or are we going to get a flat afterwards? Of course, we could move into the Manor for a while though I’m not sure how your family would feel about that even though it’s a totally different place than it was before I was born, or so I’ve been told. And…”

Albus pressed a gentle finger to his lips. “Does that mean you like me too? As a boyfriend?” 

“Oh, did I skip that part? Yes, I…I would very much like to be your Scorpius and for you to be my Albus. I just went right back into overthinking…just couldn’t be helped! Because there’s just so much to think about, especially if we want to be together after Hogwarts. I know I want to be a healer and I know that you haven’t quite decided what you want to do yet, but if we are in London…”

“Let’s try something else to get you to stop overthinking.”

“Yes, please. Anything.”

“I’m going to kiss you now, if that’s okay.”

“Yes.”

Later on that evening, as he tried to fall asleep, Scorpius realized that being with Albus was truly the best outcome of his attempt to try out for Quidditch.


	3. Christmas

It was almost time for Christmas holidays, and somehow Albus’s mother had thought it was a good idea to invite both Draco and Scorpius over to the Burrow for the giant Christmas Eve holiday party that included all their friends and family. While Scorpius was beyond excited to be invited to an official Weasley event, Albus realized that the party signaled the moment where they might actually need to tell their families that they were happily seeing each other. 

“I can’t believe I’m going to be at a party with the actual Minister for Magic.”

“Well, you‘ve known her when she was a teacher and an outlaw and traveled through time with her, so of course a party is what excites you.”

“Of course—seeing her in extraordinary circumstances made sense. Seeing her at a normal party that I’m actually invited to rather than due to our fourth-year foibles...”

“Right, of course. And where does telling her you are in a relationship with her nephew fall on your circumstance scale?”

Scorpius looked at him blankly. “Merlin, I guess we are going to have to tell people, aren’t we? I didn’t think about it.”

Albus nodded. “I don’t want to spend the whole party trying to figure out if someone is looking at us before I hold your hand or something. I know we’re not a particularly demonstrative couple...”

“Excuse you, we hug all the time.”

“Yes, we’ve done that since fourth year. But it’s different now and I don’t want people guessing whether we’re together or not...I’d rather just let it be known.”

Scorpius smiled. “This is been ours for a while now...I agree. I think it will just be better if we just tell people that we’re together and I don’t think they’ll mind and if they do then there’s plenty of places we can go to get away or figure out the next step. Are you worried?”

“I feel like my Mum and Dad probably know, or that at least Mum has guessed and said something about it to Dad or else you wouldn’t have been invited. You?”

“My dad will be okay, I think. The fact that we got invited to a big Weasley party made him suspicious but he could see how much I wanted to go. But lord knows what James is going to do. He’s a bit unpredictable, your brother.”

“Might just be worried about how it impacts him, I think? He’s a bit of a git but he’ll behave around my Mum and Grandmum.”

“I don’t know him too well. But if I don’t think my father will have a problem and you don’t think your parents will have a problem then we are good? But I don’t want to make a big announcement and take over the entire party. Just tell my father and your parents, and then if anyone asks we can confirm it.” 

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Well, yes I think you’re right I think it makes sense and I don’t want to hide anything anymore. Not that we’ve been hiding or anything…I just I’m happy to be with you, Scorpius. I’m happy for people to know that I’m happy. You’re important to me.” 

“So are you to me.”

“Think you left out some words there.”

“That’s the effect you have on me—my syntax goes rogue.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We’ve been studying grammar in Muggle Studies—it’s something Muggles have to take all the time! It’s really fascinating.”

“Maybe when people are bothering us at the party you can start to talk about it and they’ll leave us alone.”

“Merlin, you are lucky I’m in love with you. So rude.”

“The luckiest.”

***

Scorpius and his father arrived at the Burrow a bit later than the other guests, so when he did see Scorpius arrive and they hugged each other nobody reacted. 

“Why don’t you and your dad grab drinks and I’ll corral my parents and we can get the talk out of the way and have a nice evening?”

“Sounds good. Do you want something?”

“Sure. You know what I like.”

“Of course I do! I’m the Albus-whisperer.”

“What?”

“Lily said it once, when you were grumpy at breakfast.”

“I’m always grumpy at breakfast, so that doesn’t narrow it down.”

“But you talk to me, hence I am the Albus-whisperer, and I will go get us drinks.” He smiled at Albus and winked. “Dad, let’s grab a drink!” 

Albus sighed and smiled in return, heading off in search of his parents, finding them talking in the kitchen with Hermione and Ron. Once he mentioned he wanted to speak with them, Hermione made quick work of getting out of the room. Albus checked the party and saw James handing Scorpius two drinks before he and Draco headed for them. 

“Don’t tell me you let James make the drinks,” Albus said as Scorpius and his father entered the kitchen, Draco stiffly greeting the elder Potters.

“Well, yes, I did. He said the one for you is on the left and the one for me is on the right.”

“So now we know which one is poisoned.”

“He’s your brother, Albus. He’s not going to poison you.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have brothers.”

“Merlin, you are dramatic sometimes. I’ll take a sip of it first if that appeases you.” He brought the cup to his lips as Albus rolled his eyes and motioned towards the seats so they could join their parents in conversation. Scorpius handed him the cup and stopped. “Oh,” he said, rubbing at his chest and coughing. Albus patted him on the back, then found himself holding Scorpius up as he passed out in his arms. 

Draco, Ginny, and Harry were by their side in an instant, Ginny gently pulling Albus away while Harry and Draco checked on Scorpius. Albus shook off her hands and found himself marching back into the living room with most of the guests.

“JAMES, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GIVE MY BOYFRIEND?!” 

***

By the time they got to St. Mungo’s, Albus was calmer but still paced in the waiting room while Draco sat, back stiff and straight as he stared at the room where they took Scorpius. His mother asked them both if they needed anything and both responded in kind that they need Scorpius to be okay. Neither was sure how much time passed before they got their wish and were escorted into the room, Ginny heading to the Floo to let everyone know the danger had passed.

Scorpius was still unconscious when they entered, but the healers performed spells to show them that he was in fact sleeping and breathing properly after an allergic reaction to alihotsy. Albus sat on his left, clutching Scorpius’s hand, while Draco sat on the right, back still straight, staring at his son’s sleeping face. 

They were both in the same positions some hours later when Scorpius opened his eyes and called their attention to his newfound awareness with a low groan. 

“Is the party over?” He rasped. Albus smiled and shook his head.

“You sort of ended it early. And you call me dramatic.”

“What happened?” Scorpius asked. Albus took a moment to look at Draco, who was now stroking Scorpius’s hair. He gave Albus a slight nod. 

“I guess I’ll start with the bad news. James got the bright idea to put a bit of alihotsy in the drink he made for me because he thought I needed some cheering up, and you are quite allergic to it. When you tested my drink you collapsed from the reaction and we had to bring you to St. Mungo’s to counter it. You’ll be in hospital until at least tomorrow so they can be sure it’s all out of your system.”

Scorpius sighed. “In the hospital for Christmas, but there’s still good news?”

The left corner of Albus’s mouth quirked upward and he gave Scorpius’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Our parents know about the relationship now so you don’t have to worry about that talk anymore.”

Scorpius squeezed Albus’s hand back, not as gentle. “What?”

“Albus was quite upset when you collapsed and demanded an explanation from your brother as to why he had poisoned his boyfriend,” Draco offered, his hand now resting on Scorpius’s head. 

Scorpius turned his head slightly to look his father in the eye. “Are you okay with that?” 

Draco smiled warmly. “I didn’t agree to spend holidays with Potters and Weasleys for fun, Scorpius. I did it because I love you and support you. I’m also pleased that Albus is willing to fight them for you—his aunt almost had to restrain him to keep him from killing James.”

Scorpius groaned. “Dad!”

A smile enveloped Albus’s face. “I was pretty upset but Mum stopped me and James explained before I could wallop him.”

“You did get a punch in,” Draco offered.

“Albus!” Scorpius refocused his gaze upon his boyfriend.

Albus shrugged. “And I was stopped before I could wallop him completely, so still true. He would have warned you if he’d known you were allergic. It’s not a common allergy but it does seem to pop up in purebloods, according to the healer.”

Scorpius nodded, his eyes starting to droop. “There was a minister for magic that died after eating alihotsy-flavored fudge, so I feel like I’m in good company.” 

“Of course you’d know that. Now I know you’ll be fine.” Albus lifted Scorpius’s hand to his lips and kissed it. 

Scorpius smiled and closed his eyes. “You and my dad are here. Of course I’ll be fine.”

Draco cleared his throat mildly. “It’s late so Albus does have to get back home, but you’ll probably just sleep until he can come back tomorrow. I’m hopeful that by the time he arrives the healers will discharge you and we can all celebrate Christmas at the Manor.”

Scorpius nodded, not bothering to open his eyes. “Sounds good. Love you both. Good night.” 

Albus looked at Draco. “You don’t mind? Me barging in on your Christmas?”

Draco shook his head. “I wasn’t lying—I just want him to be happy. If you make him happy I can bear the rest.”

Albus nodded. “My family really isn’t that bad. We just need to get you out of the formalwear and into some sweaters.”

Draco raised an eyebrow. “Don’t press your luck, mini-Potter.”

“You might not want to open your Christmas present then. Scorpius will be so disappointed if you don’t like it.” He kissed Scorpius’s hand one more time, noting that his boyfriend was truly back asleep. “Anyways, you were right. I told my Mum I’d floo home after he woke up and let her and Dad know how he is so they can decide on James’s punishment. That’s basically my Christmas present, and I don’t want to miss it. See you tomorrow!” 

As Albus shut the door to the hospital room, he could have sworn he heard Draco mutter “Bloody Potters” under his breath.


	4. Wedding

One day, while Scorpius was running around getting ready for work and Albus was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, Albus put a hand on Scorpius’s shoulder to still him for a moment. 

“I think we should get married,” he said. Scorpius stopped and looked at him, a smile lighting up his face. 

“Well if that’s a proposal then I accept, Mr. Potter.”

“I could be Mr. Malfoy? Or Malfoy-Potter? Potter-Malfoy? What do you like?” 

“I wonder what everyone would say if we put our names together like that,” Scorpius mused. “I’m not sure about what I want to be called but I am sure I would love to be married to you.”

“So when’s your next day off?” Albus asked, his hand moving from Scorpius’s shoulder to grasp him loosely around the waist.

Scorpius summoned a chair and sat, making sure not to break Albus’s grasp. “ Do you really think just we could just do it like that?” 

“Neither one of us really likes a lot of fuss. I think we’d be fine if we just got married and we tell our families later? We just need to explain our thinking and let your dad throw us a party. He would be happy just giving us a party, right? I know we won’t be able to avoid some Malfoy grandeur.” 

“Well that’s all we’re going to give him. I quite like the idea of just a wedding between you and me—no fuss, just us. And a rhyme! I think that makes it perfect, don’t you? 

Albus laughed. “I think it makes you perfect. Which is why I think we should do this.”

Scorpius nodded. “Unfortunately, I have to get to work now. But I could stop by and pick up the paperwork on my way home so we could get the process started? I think I’ve got a day off in about a month and we need about that much time for the notice to go out so we should be good.”

“All right. I’ll check your calendar and make sure that our days off are synced up and I we can get married on our next day off.”

“Well this is certainly a better morning than I anticipated,” Scorpius smiled. “I get to go to work with a fiancé. It’s quite lovely.” 

“Have a good day. I love you.” Albus pulled Scorpius over so they could share a kiss, and then Scorpius hurried off to work.

Looking back on it later, Albus was surprised by how smoothly everything went at first. Scorpius got the paperwork filed and in order. He and Albus went through their closet picked out their favorite outfits to be married in. They went into Diagon Alley and chose rings. They even got two people to agree to be witnesses: Teddy Lupin (seemingly related to Albus and actually related to Scorpius), who agreed because he “wanted to be a part of the story” and didn’t mind keeping quiet for a bit, and Lily, who came through their floo uninvited and overheard them discussing their vows. 

And so Scorpius and Albus got married the afternoon of their joint day off and scheduled a dinner with their families at their favorite restaurant that evening, hoping that the public venue would mean there was less of an opportunity for someone to cause a scene when they broke the news. They didn’t realize that one of the things they should’ve planned for was the exact phrasing they would use when they made the announcement. 

Scorpius asked for everyone’s attention and smiled, Albus took his hand, and he said, “We wanted to bring you all here to tell you we decided to get married. We…” 

“Congratulations son! I’ve been planning for this.” Draco said, gesturing to the waiter. The other family members offered their congratulations as well, Ginny and Harry coming over to hug the boys before returning to their seats.

“Well, we actually…”

“When do you plan to file the notice?”

Albus squeezed Scorpius’s hand. “The thing is we’ve actually already filed all the paperwork and what not…where did you get that parchment?” 

Draco had indeed pulled out a long piece of parchment that had notations about venues, florists, and caterers. Scorpius squeezed Albus’s hand back as his father started furiously making notations with a peacock quill. 

“So you have to get married within the year? That’s a bit more rushed than I would like to do it properly but if I’m careful it’s plenty of time for me to get everything settled and taken care of. You just need to let me know exactly who you want to have on your guest list, Albus, and I will take care of all the other details. Because of the time constraints we’ll just host everything at the Manor rather than taking the time to find a separate venue and…” 

Draco continued his discussions, crossing off and circling items on his list, quill smacking Scorpius in the face while Lily was beside herself laughing and Albus tried to surreptitiously kick her under the table. 

Albus took a deep breath. “Draco, we…”

“Would love for you to help us. Thank you.” Scorpius said, wincing as Albus’s gentle squeeze became more forceful.

“Will you excuse us for a moment?” Albus said, dragging Scorpius outside. 

Thus, Albus and Scorpius had their first argument as a married couple on their wedding day. Albus insisted that they should tell Draco exactly what happened and Scorpius didn’t see the harm in letting him plan a wedding because it wasn’t going to affect them in the slightest and it made his father happy. Albus ultimately won the argument.

“I’m not starting our life together with a lie, Scorpius.”

“Okay…I agree. That’s not what I want either. But you saw how excited he was…”

“It’ll be okay. We can offer a compromise.”

They headed back to the table, ready to explain, and found that everyone was rather subdued. Draco was sitting with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised at James, who gave them a rather sheepish look.

“Did we miss something?” Scorpius asked as he and Albus sat back down. 

“Apparently so,” Draco said. 

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” Ginny said, looking at Albus. “At work today I saw that there’s a picture they mean to run in the Daily Prophet tomorrow—you and Scorpius coming out of the ministry with Teddy and Lily. I just mentioned that it was odd you ran into Lily whilst doing the paperwork and…”

“I agreed that was odd,” Lily said. “And perhaps suggested that you didn’t want a big wedding.”

“Then I realized you both had rings on already,” Draco said. “And I wonder if perhaps when you said you decided to get married, you had decided to get married already.”

Scorpius took a gulp from his water glass. “Perhaps that logic is sound. Perhaps I didn’t mean to say it in such a way that would get you excited about planning a wedding.”

“And perhaps we could have a lovely party to celebrate rather than a wedding? That you could still plan and hold at the Manor?” Albus offered.

“Oh, I’m still planning a wedding.” Draco said, uncrossing his arms. “You’ve done the legal side of things but there is still a time and place for ceremony.”

“Dad, I…”

“Draco, we…”

“Come by the Manor tomorrow boys. We can discuss it further. For now, why don’t we toast the happy couple.” 

“Okay,” Scorpius said softly. Draco began pouring wine and passed glasses around the table. The Potters looked at Albus, who smiled and nodded at them to join in. 

“To Scorpius and Albus.”

***

When Scorpius and Albus arrived at the Manor, they found Draco waiting for them in the sitting room with a box. After providing them with tea, he began to speak.

“I do want to apologize for my reaction yesterday and to explain. I’m not upset that you two have gotten married. I’m quite happy that Scorpius has found someone that makes him so happy.”

“Thank you,” Scorpius said quietly. 

“I had the parchment because of this,” he explained, pushing the box towards them. Scorpius opens it carefully.

“This is Mum’s,” he said softly. 

“It’s her planning materials from our wedding, yes. And some things she wanted to pass down to you for your wedding.”

“I had no idea she saved these things,” Scorpius said. Albus moved closer, wrapping his arm around his husband’s shoulders. 

“I know. And I’m sorry for not mentioning it sooner. I should have done when you moved in together. I just assumed you’d say something beforehand.”

“Dad, I didn’t mean to exclude you.”

“No, Draco, I’m so sorry. That wasn’t the intent. It was just…”

“The two of you have a bit of a history of sneaking out and doing things on your own. I’m quite pleased that this time is was a wedding and not time travel.”

“We will never live that down,” Albus groaned.

“No, I daresay you won’t,” Draco said, sipping his tea. “But regardless, a wedding is about you and not me so don’t apologize to me. I just wanted you to have your mother’s materials and offer to have a ceremony where we can incorporate what she saved if you wanted to do so. Having a second ceremony is quite common nowadays, and we can keep it small if that’s what you both prefer.”

“I miss her so much,” Scorpius said. Draco came over and sat on his other side, putting his arm around him and rest his hand on Albus’s shoulder.

“Every day,” Draco confirmed.

“I think a second ceremony would be wonderful, and I’d love to hear more about Astoria and your wedding, Draco.”

“We can trade stories,” Draco said. “I’ll tell you about how I proposed and you can tell me about how you decided to get married.” He reaches into the box and shows them a picture of a young Draco staring adoringly at Astoria, who was beaming for the camera and holding up her hand to show off her ring. Both are covered in mud.

“This is an excellent story, Albus,” Scorpius said. He reached to refill their tea as Draco moved back to sit in the high-backed chair opposite the couch and began to speak. 

“I had decided to propose and made some fairly elaborate plans, but on that day, your mother decided that what we needed was fresh air…”


	5. Anniversary

Albus had everything perfectly set up for their fifth anniversary. He’d combined both the traditional and modern fifth anniversary gifts because Scorpius loved Muggle culture and traditions. He had created displays using an old set of Malfoy silverware from the Manor that was imprinted with the Malfoy crest for the modern gift, and the wood of their old wands that had been broken back in the fourth year, which he had gotten from his father after convincing him they were no longer needed as evidence at the ministry, for the traditional gift. 

They planned to talk about their next steps—what they were going to do to the house, where they are going to travel, and how and when to start a family. It was going to be a nice quiet evening for the two of them, which Albus was looking forward to. They both seemed to be going non-stop with their jobs recently, as Scorpius had been promoted based on the promising results of his Muggle/magic medicine hybrid study and Albus’s team of magizoologists had been tasked with an abandoned litter of hippogriffs. He had just finished his notes for the weekend team when his assistant ran into the room.

“Mr. Potter, you have a visitor out at the front.” Albus smiled, knowing that Scorpius planned to meet him at work.

“Thanks Lin. I suppose I can leave. I’ve just finished the notes for Jones’s team so if you don’t mind getting those sent out…” 

Lin took the notes even though his hand was shaking. “Not a problem. I think it’s rather urgent sir, so you really ought to just go now. Best of luck.” 

“Thanks!” Albus said as he grabbed his jacket. He spent a moment trying to tame his hair before giving up and heading to the front of the facility. However, he didn’t see Scorpius anywhere and was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his father.

“Dad? What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“There’s been an incident,” his father said slowly, as if he wasn’t quite sure of the words himself. “I’m here to take you to St. Mungo’s.” 

“Merlin. Is it Mom? James? Lily?” 

Harry shook his head, unable to meet Albus’s eyes. “No…it’s Scorpius.”

Albus scoffed. “Scorpius, who went to work at St. Mungo’s this morning is involved in an incident at St. Mungo’s?”

“Yes.” Harry replied, and gestured for Albus to sit down, but instead he shook his father’s hand off his shoulder and took a step back. 

“I had aurors with me on a raid today, and we had to take some of the suspects to the hospital to get them taken care of before we could take them to Azkaban. Standard procedure, but it was part of their plan to attack the hospital. Things went quite awry there. I can’t tell you much, but Scorpius was hurt, and I’ve come to take you to be with him.”

Albus felt the floor fall out from underneath him. “To be with him? Is he OK? How is he hurt? What exactly is going on here, Dad? I…”

Harry held out his hands, and Albus found himself walking into his father’s embrace, desperate for some sort of comfort. “The sooner we get to the hospital, the sooner you’ll have the information you want. I sent your mother to go and talk to Draco—they will wait for you to get there to get the update from the healers. I don’t know exactly what is going on with his condition, but I know that it’s more complicated than a simple curse.”

“Dad, is he going to be okay?” Albus asked, his voice breaking. 

His father put his hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I won’t make you any promises, but I know that everyone is going to do their best. Let’s go see what’s happening.”

The hospital was still in chaos when Albus and his father arrived. Clearly whatever had happened occurred in the emergency area. Healers were running about, debris was scattered, people were crying. In the midst of it were his mother and Draco, sitting in chairs on the wall by the entrance. Draco had his head between his knees and his mother’s hand on his back. 

Albus’s fear was now overwhelming. “Mom. Draco. What happened? Is he…” Draco looked up to see Albus and immediately enveloped him in a hug that Albus returned, though it did nothing to calm him. 

“We haven’t heard anything yet, sweetheart,” his mother said gently. “We just know that there were some complications and that the healers came to ask Draco if they had permission to use Scorpius’s directive.”

“Merlin,” Albus said. He knew what that meant. Scorpius had created some kind of a living will that he had on file at the hospital. it was something that many of the healers created to ensure that their wishes were considered if they ever found themselves in the same situation as his parents. “He just updated it to include his work.”

Draco stilled and drew back so he could look at Albus. “The Muggle work?”

“What Muggle work?” asked Harry, taking a seat next to Ginny. 

Albus took a deep breath. “Scorpius has been working with a Muggle-born healer and his cousin who is a Muggle doctor. They have been trying to see if using Muggle medical treatments would be useful for wizards if there are issues with their magic…like with his mother.” 

“Astoria?” Ginny asked. “I thought she had a blood curse.”

“She did.” Draco said. “Part of the problem was that it drained her magic, so eventually there was not enough magic left in her blood for the potions and charms to work to help sustain her. Scorpius didn’t think the Muggle medicine would be enough to help her, but perhaps others. He’s been researching.” He looked at Albus, fear in his eyes. “You don’t think?”

Albus bit his lip. “I don’t know what happened yet. We just have to wait.”

When the healer came out, Albus could see that it was his Scorpius’s supervisor, Susan Bones, whom all three of his parental figures recognized immediately. She gave them a tight smile.

“Hello Draco, Harry, Ginny, Albus. I’m here to give you the update on Scorpius. Why don’t we come over here into this room to talk?” They followed her into the small area off the main waiting room. Albus wondered how many other families had been brought into this room to talk about their loved ones and their condition. He wondered how many times Scorpius had brought somebody into this room to have this conversation. He wondered if Scorpius would be able to have this conversation with people again. He took a deep breath and try to still his hands in his lap before giving all his attention to Healer Bones.

“What do you all know, so far so I can make sure you have the appropriate information?” she asked. Ginny and Draco both looked at Harry.

Harry took a deep breath. “I know that something happened to him after the wizards we brought in from the raid attempted to stage a coup and attacked the hospital,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what happened to him—just that he was hurt I should contact his family. And we just heard that there was some kind of a complication with his condition but we don’t know what caused his condition to begin with. So anything you can tell us about Scorpius and how he’s doing would be much appreciated.” 

“Right,” Healer Bones said. “Scorpius was called to the emergency ward because there was a child suffering from asthma. Her mother is Muggle-born and her father is a Muggle—the magical treatments were not alleviating her symptoms. Scorpius was trying to understand if her magic had manifested yet, as the magical treatments might not be effective if the magic was not strong enough in her blood. They were in a treatment room when one of the wizards from the raid barged in. Scorpius was hit with a curse but still managed to cast a shield charm to protect the family and he and the mother managed to subdue the attacker. The combination of the curse and the subsequent use of magic drained him. While the attack did not last long, by the time we got everything under control and a healer was able to check on Scorpius he had already lost consciousness.”

Neither Albus nor Draco seemed to be able to speak. Ginny cleared her throat and asked, “What was the initial curse?” 

“It was what is known as Dolohov’s curse.” Draco went rigid and reached for Albus’s hand. “The mother heard the incantation and led us know immediately and we began treating him. While the initial counter-curse was effective at stopping the damage, we realized that the subsequent potions were not having an effect and his condition was not improving.” Healer Bones paused. “Part of Scorpius’s research has been to understand what causes these types of situations, where the magical treatments stop working. I’m not sure if he’s told you this, but he has been looking at his own blood as part of this, and he is a carrier of his mother’s blood curse.”

“Does that mean the same thing that happened to Astoria will happened to him now?” Draco questioned. “Or is he already…”

“Scorpius is only a carrier, meaning he may have some symptoms but not the disease—not in the same way. He’d never had any issues until today—we ran his diagnostics and realized that his magic had drained quite a bit when he was stopping the attack. While there was enough magic in his blood to allow us to cast the counter-curse, afterward the levels are so low that the magical treatments were no longer having an effect. This is why we asked if we could use his directive—to try some of the Muggle medical treatments in order to keep him alive long enough for his magic to replenish so we can treat him properly.” 

“What do you mean keep him alive?” Albus asked, his voice rough as he wiped away a tear. 

“Dolohov’s curse caused internal damage. We used Muggle life-support machines to help him breathe and to help keep his heart beating. We also have him hooked up to an intravenous device that delivers Muggle medicines directly into his blood stream to help keep him stable. Since the Muggle treatments, he has been stable. The magic in his blood is no longer decreasing and his vital signs are normal.”

Albus nodded, his posture still stiff. “How long is it going to take? And he’ll be okay? Are you sure he’s going to get better from this? That his magic will come back?”

Healer Bones sighed. “We think Scorpius should make a full recovery but we can’t guarantee anything. Again, these Muggle methods aren’t widely used yet. But the theory behind the treatment is sound, and the research done so far indicates that Scorpius should improve. However, we don’t know how long it’s going to take for his magic to replenish before he won’t need the machines. We’ll want to see his levels quite high before we try magical treatment options again. And I have to warn you that the machines look quite frightening. They are large, make a lot of noise, and because of how they interact with his body he’s not going to look like himself. He’s not going to look like he’s sleeping. He’s going to look sick. He’s not going to be awake.”

Draco conjured a handkerchief for himself and one for Albus, who took it gratefully. “Well, I know that he’ll be thrilled that his research is being put to use to help him. I imagine he will be upset to discover that he’s not the one that gets the study the data and talk about it.”

Healer Bones smiled. “Well, we can collect the data for him to study later. He’ll need some time away from work after this to rest and recuperate. Perhaps he can work on writing this into a paper and get it published in that time frame. I imagine he’ll enjoy that a lot.”

Albus felt his mother grasp his hand. His voice was still shaky. “Okay. So he’s not awake, but can we see him now? And we will be able to stay with him?”

“Yes,” Healer Bones said. “I believe that having you all there will be a comfort to him once he becomes more aware. Since we don’t know when that will happen, I suggest taking shifts. I just have to warn you to be careful not to touch the machines. The room is charmed, so that if any of the machines start to beep I will be contacted immediately. And all you will have to do is tap your wand on the wall to alert me that there is something happening. If I’m not available the information will go to the healer on duty.” She stood up and gestured for them to join her. “Now let’s go ahead and see Scorpius.”

Albus and Draco followed her, with Harry and Ginny offering to go and contact the family to update them on the situation. When they first saw Scorpius, Albus took a step back. While he was glad that Healer Bones warned them about how much machinery there would be and how loud it would be, it was still upsetting to see his husband this way. Scorpius was always pale, but he wasn’t sure that there was a word for exactly what Scorpius looked like now. Furthermore, he could barely see his face because it was so obscured by tubing. Albus felt completely lost.

Draco came over and took Albus’s hand, leading him to Scorpius’s bedside. He sat down and gently reached out for Scorpius and Draco took a similar position on the other side. 

“Thank you, Healer Bones,” Draco said. “We’re glad you are taking care of Scorpius. He has a lot of respect for you.”

“Well, he’s one of my best healers so I’m invested in keeping him around. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Just contact me if you need anything.” She leaves the room and all that’s left is Albus, his father-in-law, his husband, and the cacophony of beeping and buzzing machines. 

Albus and Draco sat in silence for until Albus worked up the courage to ask, “Was it ever like this with Astoria?” 

Draco nods. “Well, not the machines, obviously. But the waiting and worrying, yes.” 

“How did you do it? I’ve had to do it for 10 minutes and I think I might lose my mind.”

“With Astoria we always knew this kind of thing was a possibility…really a reality. It was inevitable that she was going to become ill and that once she was sick that she wasn’t going to live very long. We focused on making the most of the time that we had. I always wanted more…I still want more, but I try to be grateful for what we had. When she was in hospital or in bed, too sick to speak, I would talk to her about all the things that we had done that we loved, or her things that I would like us to do. Toward the end I suppose I spoke more of things that Scorpius and I would do to let her know that we would be thinking about her. He told her a lot about you, and he told her about school. He read his favorite books to her.” Draco sighed. “I don’t think we need to have the conversations about what we do without him…” his voice broke, but he kept going. “…but rather we should talk about things that we’d like to do with him, or tell him about things that we really enjoyed. Just so he knows that we’re here. It’ll help us, at least. I know he’d want to help us.” 

“It’s our anniversary today,” Albus said. 

“I know,” Draco replied. 

“Five years, so it’s silverware and wood. You know how much he likes all those Muggle traditions. I didn’t know you liked Muggles so much that you’d want to test out your research on yourself though, Scorpius. I feel like there is a better way to see if this technology works. We’re going to have to have a talk about that moving forward.”

Draco chuckled. “I agree with you, Albus. Definitely a future conversation. What did you do with the Malfoy silverware?” 

“Not telling—you can come by and see, though. I still want you to be surprised, Scorpius. I worked hard on it.”

Draco nodded. “One time, when he was a child, he decided that he was going to hide all our shoes around the house so that we couldn’t leave. He thought it was great fun, having some kind of a scavenger hunt. And we really had to get going and I was quite cross with him and was about to transfigure myself a pair and head out when Astoria handed me a map. We ended up cancelling our appointments for the day and completing the scavenger hunt. Those are the kind of things you can always expect from Scorpius. You’ve got everything sorted out and then he does something that makes you completely change your plans. He and Astoria helped me realize that when things go awry they can lead to something else wonderful. She was insistent that we let him be a child. That shoe incident was the first moment I really thought about being a child. I was never really able to be anything but proper around my parents. I know he had a difficult childhood but I’d like to think that he has found his happiness along the way.”

Albus sniffled. “I’d like to think so, too.” 

Draco tried to smile. “And while this current incident was certainly unintentional, Scorpius, this really isn’t the way to go forward with your research so this is the one and only time you get to try your own work. I love you, but really this is too much.”

Albus and Draco went back-and-forth with their favorite stories about Scorpius, teasing him about silly incidents and explaining how he made their lives better. At one point, Draco realized they’d missed dinner and offered to go get them something to eat, leaving Albus alone with his husband for the first time. 

He took Scorpius’s hand and brought it to his lips, then gently touched his cheek where the skin was still visible. 

“After telling stories with your dad all evening, I realized what I want more than anything is the chance to have more adventures with you. I want to work through things with you. I know that even if all our plans fall apart that I’ve got you with me and we’ll figure it out. That’s all I want—to figure out life with you. So please get better so we can do that.” 

He continued, “I’d like to talk with you about this for real soon, but I’m hoping that maybe we can add a little you or a little me or a little someone to our family to help us find more of that chaos and ruin more of our plans and help us figure out and live life more day today. I’ve thought a lot about it, and I know you have to.”

And I know you’ve been worried about something happening or not being able to really be there for our child or children. But I think about all those wonderful memories you have of your mom like the ones that Draco and I’ve been talking about with you today. You didn’t have a lot of time with her but the time you had was good, and that’s the most important thing. I’m really looking forward to having that conversation with you. I love you so much, Scorpius.” 

Albus lays his head down on the bed and closes his eyes, silently praying that his husband will open his. 

“Happy anniversary, love.”


	6. Flashback: First Day of School

Astoria found him in the library curled up next to the fireplace even though it was summer, turning the pages of a book thought he didn’t appear to be reading. 

“Scorpius…” she sang out softly. 

He looked up at her and smiled. “Hello Mum.” 

“What’s going on with you, darling? It’s time for you to get ready for bed you’ve got a big day tomorrow—your first day at Hogwarts. I’m so excited for you.” He looked down at his book but didn’t close it. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” 

Scorpius sighed. “I’m still worried about it. I’m worried about all the things that everyone says about me. You know what the rumor is.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I know and you’re right—that’s going to be difficult. Other children can be quite cruel to each other. They don’t always know how to handle situations properly.”

Scorpius scrunched up his nose. “What do you mean handle it properly?”

“Well, sometimes when children call each other names or make fun of each other it’s because they’re different from each other and they don’t understand that it’s okay to be different. It makes him scared and so they’re cruel about the things they don’t understand rather than trying to understand them.”

“Or they might avoid them all together,” Scorpius said quietly. “I might be all by myself.”

“No, darling,” she said, sitting down next to him and putting her arm around him. He immediately began to curl into her side, resting his head on her shoulder. She felt it twinge when he did that but refused to do anything but hold him closer. “First, there isn’t much you can do if they start to say things to you except tell somebody. You can tell your professors or tell your headmaster; tell the prefects or head of house—whoever you feel comfortable speaking with. You shouldn’t let them just get away with saying terrible things to you all the time or doing terrible things to you.”

His lip still quivered. “What if the professors and prefects and everyone else believes it too?” 

“Darling, most people don’t really believe that rumor. You look so much like your father.” 

“I’m not sure that’s much better, Mummy,” he said quietly. 

She sighed. “You know what father did in the war… It’s not something most people can understand and it’s not something most people are willing to forgive.” 

“So how did you forgive him?” 

“Your father has grown and changed a lot since he was younger,” Astoria said confidently.   
He’s a better man than you can see. And it’s hard for people to accept that change as well, especially since we’ve not been out much.”

“You’ve not been well, though,” Scorpius said. “We needed to keep you safe. We needed to keep you well.” 

She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Your father was also afraid of what people might do or say to you, dearest. He knows the cruelty that people have in their hearts, and he just wanted to keep you from that.”

Scorpius nodded. “But why doesn’t he talk to me about these things? He just says it isn’t important and that I need to mind him.” 

“Your father was brought up to believe that they were certain ways that wizards were meant to behave. It’s hard for him to let go of how he learned things. It’s hard for him to really show everybody how different he is. But never doubt that your father loves you and me more than anything in this world and all he wants to do is protect us. It was so hard for him to even agree to let you go to school—he just wanted to hire tutors and keep you here all the time. But you’ve been so excited ever since you heard of Hogwarts and everything that would happen there. And he wants you to be happy, so he agreed to send you to Hogwarts.”

“I want to be happy, too,” Scorpius said. “But I don’t want to be lonely. I’ll miss you.”

She hugged him to her even tighter. “There isn’t much we can do to control what other people do, but you can control what you do. I know you are a wonderful lovely boy and they can’t take that away from you, no matter what they do. So the only plan you need to be successful at Hogwarts is to just be yourself. Just be yourself, sweetheart, and you’ll find the people who you’re meant to be friends with and you’ll find your way. It might not be perfect but I truly believe that you’ll find happiness there because you find something beautiful in everything you do. I’m so excited for you.”

“I’m excited for me too,” Scorpius admitted, a slight smile gracing his face. “You’re right—I have wanted to go there for so long. I’m so excited about learning the magic and exploring the castle and seeing the giant squid. I just want someone to do those things with.” 

“Well, I have a surprise for you. I was going to give you tomorrow but I’ll give it to you now. I think that the train will be the hardest part of Hogwarts for you—it’s going to be the first time meeting everyone and you already know that some people are going to have preconceived notions won’t want to sit with you. So I got you something to share with the people who are good enough to stay.”

“Is it sweets?” Scorpius asked anxiously, a smile popping up on his face. 

“Yes, darling, it’s sweets.” She summoned the bag that she picked up at Honeydukes for him and let his shake it to see the variety. “You know what I say—sweets…”

“…they always help you make friends!” Scorpius finished. 

“Exactly. It’ll help you start a conversation, break the ice a little bit. So don’t just offer sweets to everyone, but if they look like they might stay I think it’ll help. And if nothing else you’ll be in a good mood for the sorting due to your sugar rush.” 

Scorpius smiled. “And it’ll be okay no matter where I get sorted?”

“Well,” she laughed, “I know your father and I would love for you to be in Slytherin mainly because Slytherin could use a genuinely happy and charming person like you to show everyone how great Slytherins can be. But it doesn’t matter if you’re a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw—we will love you just the same. 

“I love you too,” he said, yawning. 

She took the bag of sweets from his hand as she kissed him on the cheek. “All right love. Time to get you to bed.”

***

The day after they sent Scorpius off on the Hogwarts Express, Astoria and Draco were surprised by an owl during their afternoon tea. Astoria accepted the letter and began reading it, a smile lighting up her face. Draco looked at her anxiously.

“What is it—is it Scorpius? Is he all right?”

“He is wonderful—I will read it out loud for you.”

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_It worked! I made a friend, just like Mum said I would. There were people who are not nice and who left as soon as they realized who I was, but one boy stayed even after someone told him the rumor and I told him my name. He said he was just excited about the sweets (his Mum doesn’t let him have them much) but then he barely ate any—just one of each! He laughed when my ears smoked from the Pepper Imps and let me tell him all about my favorite books._

_Best of all, he was sorted into Slytherin with me! I figured I would be but he wasn’t expecting it and seemed sad at first, but when I told him he could stand next to me he seemed happier. We chose beds next to each other in the dorm and when he seemed sad I started talking and he said thank you for distracting him. Since we are in the same house we will be in the same classes and I can’t wait!_

_I’ll tell you more when classes start—just wanted you to know that it worked!_

_All my love,_

_Scorpius_

_P.S. Do you know how to get paint off of a trunk?_

_P.P.S. My friend is Albus Potter—don’t tell Dad if you don’t think he can handle it._


End file.
